Algorithms are polarizing you. This AI tool could stop them

"People often blame social media algorithms that prioritize extreme content for increasing political polarization, but this effect has been difficult to prove. Only the platform owners have access to their algorithms, so researchers can't identify possible tweaks to the products' behavior without the platforms' (increasingly rare) cooperation. A study in Science not only provides compelling evidence that these algorithms cause polarization but also shows the trend can be mitigated without getting a platform's approval or removing posts."

"The team conducted an experiment over 10 days in the run-up to the 2024 U.S. election. More than 1,200 volunteer participants saw feeds in which polarizing content was either significantly down-ranked, reducing the chances of users seeing it before they stopped scrolling, or slightly up-ranked. Regardless of political orientation, those for whom polarizing posts were de-emphasized felt warmer toward the group that opposed their viewpoints (based on short surveys) than did those with unaltered feeds, whereas those who saw boosted polarizing posts felt colder."

Social media algorithms that favor extreme content have been suspected of increasing political polarization, but access limitations have made proof difficult. Researchers built a browser extension that uses a large language model to identify posts exhibiting partisan animosity or support for undemocratic practices and to reorder those posts in users' X feeds in real time. In a 10-day experiment before the 2024 U.S. election, over 1,200 volunteers viewed feeds with polarizing content either substantially down-ranked or slightly up-ranked. Participants exposed to de-emphasized polarizing posts reported warmer feelings toward opposing groups; those exposed to boosted polarizing posts reported colder feelings. The change amounted to two to three degrees on a 100-degree feeling thermometer, demonstrating that feed-level interventions can reduce polarization without platform approval or content removal.

Read at www.scientificamerican.com